What is the correct way for a business to get changes to a Wikipedia page?
This answer comes directly from founder Jimmy Wales, during his keynote speech to the Direct Marketing Association:
- Don’t just change the page. You will look like you are trying to manipulate it unethically (even if you aren’t).
- Every Wikipedia page has a "Discussion" tab. Enter your questions, additions, and complaints here.
- The editors will read them and address them.
- Most important: It demonstrates that you, the business, understand correct Wikipedia etiquette.
That’s not too hard.
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Important: If you try to manipulate Wikipedia for marketing purposes, you will definitely get busted. Don’t even try it.
Read this article from Forbes by Andy Greenberg: The Perils of Wiki PR
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<begin rant>
Wikipedia makes businesspeople insane.
- It’s supposed to be open to everyone … except us.
- The most qualified experts on a product are usually employees (especially the engineers who built it). But they are forbidden to participate or share their expertise.
- Adding/fixing truly objective facts (such as features or scientific data) is considered inappropriate if it comes from a business.
Wikipedia rules should apply to the action, not the actor. If I contribute well, I should be allowed to participate. If I break the rules, I should be thrown out and censured. It shouldn’t matter where I work.
This anti-business bias is hard to reconcile with Wikipedia’s open and inclusive philosophy. We all have jobs. Are we good people after 5 and evil during the day?